Pork Ragu

A tasty slow simmered, melt in your mouth pork ragu!

Ragu is an Italian style meat based sauce that’s served with pasta and it’s a staple on my meal plan for cooler months. Normally when I think about a ragu sauce I think of a slowly braised beef ragu or a ground beef ragu bolognese but pork is also amazing in ragu! This recipe starts by searing a pork shoulder/butt until browned before slowly braising it in a tasty tomato based sauce until it’s melt in your mouth tender. The sauce is pretty standard with onions, carrot, celery, garlic, broth, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Apple and fennel go well with pork and thyme, rosemary, sage and bay leaves round out the seasonings. The final touch is a bit of cream and parmesan cheese which mellows the sauce out and adds a ton of flavour! I like to serve this pork ragu over pappardelle or linguine and any other pasta shape works well!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 pound pork shoulder/butt, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 sprig thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 1 sprig rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 1 sprig sage (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream (or mascarpone)
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
• salt and pepper to taste